railing

noun

rail·​ing ˈrā-liŋ 

1

: a barrier consisting of a rail and supports

2

: rails

also : material for making rails

Synonyms

• rail

Examples of railing in a Sentence

He leaned on the deck's railing and watched the sun set.

they had to put a childproof railing on the balcony when the baby started walking

Recent Examples on the Web

Thursday's incident comes after another cruise passenger on Icon of the Seas fell over the glass railing of an infinity pool last month. —Gabrielle Rockson, People.com, 8 Aug. 2025

Deputies reported that the man forced his way onto the balcony and climbed over the railing before his fatal fall. —Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 3 Aug. 2025

The products allow children to reach countertops and participate in cooking, cleaning and other activities alongside their parents, and their designs vary widely with different sized steps, safety railings and, in some cases, safety netting. —Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025

Trudeau was spotted on the railing at Perry’s Montreal show. —Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 31 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for railing

• ailing
• bailing
• baling
• failing
• flailing
• grayling
• hailing
• jailing
• mailing
• nailing
• paling
• sailing

Kids Definition

railing

noun

rail·​ing ˈrā-liŋ 

1

: a barrier (as a fence) consisting of rails and their supports

2

: material for rails